He became an infamous character within Watersong for having challenged MayorRose to a singing contest. The wager: the loser's voice.

Salem cheats, and being bound by the Promise Conch, Mayor Rose loses her voice. Salem then hides the conch, and without the power of song, the village begins to weaken. This was Salem's intention. When The Hero finds the conch and returns the Mayor's voice, Salem becomes furious, and reveals himself to be Wilfre.

In Lavasteam, Salem convinces Miney into becoming a king/dictator-like ruler, forcing his people to mine Banya Crystals, though Salem continues to bully him into most of his decisions, like releasing the Giant Robosa. The Raposa tell Miney about Salem's true identity, and convince him to turn against Wilfre as well.

Another of Wilfre's disguises is Sock, and both are only used in the sequel.